Finding Peace at Christmas

In the much loved Christmas carol Do You Hear What I Hear, we find a five-word phrase tucked away that is kind of important.

“Said the King to the people everywhere

Pray for peace, people everywhere”

These words are so simple they could easily be overlooked.  Yet what I love most about this idea is that everybody can pray.  Almost everyone prays some kind of prayer at differing moments in a lifetime.

What if we started a movement of praying for peace?  Have you ever known a time in recent history when the need is greatest for peace to break out?

Let it be so. 

P Michael Biggs

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Decorations

We now move full speed into the Christmas season.  We already see the sights of Christmas with a few decorations already on display at some of our nearby neighbors and our lovely town is already lit up and is a picture of loveliness.

So, what decorates your life and my life?

Sometimes it is a ring of value, or a watch.

Some decorate their lives with automobiles and boats.

This is not a how-to post.  It is simply a thought that might, perhaps cause us to simply ponder the decorations in our lives.

Decorations come in all sizes, colors, shapes and dimensions.

They include:

 A diploma

  A job

   A name brand suit of clothes or jewelry

    Dating or being married to the right person

     Aligning with the ‘right’ religion or dogma

I love to decorate the space around me with books and a great music library.

Decorations can be good or bad.  It is what we gain from having that particular decoration in our lives and how we interact with it, and allow its influence to affect us.

Mostly, I hope your decorations add value to what you do, how you do what you do, and it brings you occasional moments of joy and peace.

P Michael Biggs

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The Coffee Break Syndrome

Coffee has seemingly taken the world by storm.  And I have become a coffee snob of sorts, but that is not what I want to write about.

 

The coffee “break” demands our attention today.  I found this quote recently and regret not capturing its source. 

“We are good at drinking espresso,

but lousy at taking a coffee break.”

Don’t forget the “break” part.  That is a part of life too.  Remember, the heart pauses between the beats.  The weekend gives us a break from the 5-day grind.  And we need a sleep break for a few hours every day.

We need the break.  Call it ‘the pause that refreshes’ to borrow from Coco Cola’s long ago slogan.

Taking that occasional “break” is how our bodies are wired, and without the break our bodies can become unwired.

Think about that the next time you go for coffee.

P Michael Biggs

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The Voice Inside

One of the best skills I’ve ever developed is to heed the voice inside of me.  Some call it instinct.  Some call it “reading people or situations”. 

It works for me. 

I use it in meeting new people, in entering business decisions, even in making retail purchases.

Carolyn and I bought a new coffee maker two weeks ago from the second store we visited.  We bypassed the first store where we saw the same device at the same price.  Why?  We didn’t like the vibes the sales clerk gave us.

Right or wrong, good or bad, our senses work for our good most of the time.

Do you trust yours? Shel Silverstein puts it well in this great poem.

P Michael Biggs

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Fear Vs Creativity

Fear is a good thing to have.  Without fear we would walk into on-coming traffic, we would go where alligators live, and try to make friends with bears. 

Fear is a good thing.

However … we don’t need fear when it comes to creativity.  Fear kills creativity. 

Creativity needs air and space and loves the idea of possibilities. 

Fear stifles; it cramps your space and rejects all things new.

Never let fear drive the bus.

P Michael Biggs

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